To Match Patterns, Colors Take One Step at a Time
Who says you can't pair up plaids with stripes?
By Nzong Xiong
Fresno Bee
Who says you can't pair up plaids with stripes? How about floral prints with stripes?
If put together right, each of these combinations can be stunning and dramatic in a home. Done wrong, you might have a chaotic mess.
The trick to mixing and matching patterns and colors to create exciting home decors is pretty simple. You just need a creative imagination, the courage to use variety, and a little guidance from home experts.
Swirls, stripes, dots and florals are all patterns on fabric. Getting them to work together isn't hard, says interior designer David Gonzales of Visalia, Calif. The key is to think of patterns as a family. You have your two main components: dominants, or parents; and subordinates, or children.
Dominants have large patterns and often are your least-used in the decor scheme. Subordinates are much smaller patterns that will complement the dominant.
"If you use two dominants, they're going to compete for attention," says Gonzales, who has been in the business for almost 30 years. "People err in using two or more dominant patterns" in the same room.
So, if you decide you want a floral pattern as your attention-grabber, go large with big sunflowers or roses, for example. You can pair it with a secondary pattern of thin, narrow stripes of similar colors.
Interior designer Karlene Kay Ryan also likes to have what she calls a "signature" fabric that pulls all the colors and other patterns in the room together.
The signature pattern "has enough print to carry the room," says Ryan, who works for residential developer Gary McDonald Homes. "It grabs you."
Color is extremely important, particularly how you use it. Patterns with multiple colors give you multiple color options. Pick one color from the dominant pattern, and use it as your main choice, Ryan says. Other colors used on a smaller scale can be used as accents. Gonzales agrees. "Colors have to flow for visual harmony," he says. "Part of the deal to achieve harmony is to use it more than once in a room."
Fabric textures also add to the decor. Silks, chenilles or cottons provide a pattern, too. Mixing them in a room can create a different feel, Ryan says.
To make patterns and colors work together, you have to know what feel or decor you want. If you don't, look for something that will inspire you, such as the home's architecture, Ryan says. When she walks into a house, she wants to be able to tell who you are and what you like, she says.
When Katherine Couture and her husband, Mike, moved to Fresno, Calif., in March from the San Francisco Bay Area, their new home was plain with only white walls.
"We were an absolute blank slate," says Couture, a 36-year-old real estate agent. To start off, they went to Macy's to see what their furniture tastes were. "For me, it's more traditional with an Old World flair," she says.
While decorating their home is still a work in progress, the living room has begun to take shape. They painted the walls a reddish coral while the ceiling is an ivory-yellow. With the help of Macy's interior designer Lisa McKune, they picked a beige chenille sofa with soft patterns of florals and leaves in greens and faded reds. The ceiling-to-floor curtains are brick red with a gold leaf design.
The curtains are the eye stopper, Couture says. "They're really nice," she says. "It's amazing how they finish off the room. It makes it a 'Wow!' room."
Repetition of patterns or colors is useful in home decor, Gonzales and Ryan say. For example, you could use the same pattern on chairs, ottomans and a piano seat (if, of course, you have a piano). This helps the room to connect together, Gonzales says.
Once you've found a color or pattern you like, get a sample or swatch of it. You'll need it when you're out looking for things to mix and match with it, Ryan says. Pictures of what you have or the room you're trying to decorate also can help.
If all these choices seem overwhelming, you can always go to your nearest bedding or home store, where they have colors and patterns already organized. All you have to do is look at their bedroom displays and pick whether your bedroom would look better with a lilac or palm tree decor.
If you can't hire an interior designer, sometimes knowing that one has approved the colors and patterns at the stores lets you know it's OK to use these choices, says Pam Compton, a Gottschalks buyer for bath and bedding.
However you decide to put together your colors and patterns, have fun with them, Ryan says.
"There is confusion with patterns and colors," she says. "But don't be afraid."
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